Maine Motif Issue 3, Vol. II (Spring 2018) | Page 23

Anatomy of a Commission
THE STORY OF “THE MURDERER AND THE
ARCHITECT”
An conversation with Thomas Lizotte and Andrew Boysen, Jr.
Commissioning new works can be an important, enriching part of the educational
process. The pride in and ownership of a ensemble are significantly affected by “music
that was written for us.” The opportunity to interact with a composer is exciting for
the group and often transformative.
Cape Elizabeth High School averages a concert band commission every two years.
Tom Lizotte, director of that band, and composer Andrew Boysen Jr. recently sat
down to discuss their latest collaboration.
How did this commission come about?
Tom Lizotte: I’ve always loved Andy’s writing and several years ago he did a really
wonderful work for us based on four famous Cape Elizabeth residents, including Bette
Davis and the film director John Ford. Because we have both attended the Midwest
Band Clinic so often, we share a love for Chicago. The first thing we talked about was
making the piece about Chicago -- the Art Institute, Wrigley Field, the architecture, the
lake.
Then, by chance, I asked him if he had read Erik Larson’s “The Devil in the White City,”
which is about a serial killer who operated concurrent with the 1893 World’s Fair in
Chicago. Andy, you pick up the story.
Andy Boysen: That’s right, and I was both surprised and excited to hear Tom mention
that book. I had first read it a few years before and really fallen in love with Larson’s
writing. I’ve since read almost all his other books, in fact. So the idea of using the book
as the inspiration for our piece seemed ideal to both of us.
What does the book’s title mean?